Tipping Point

He knew it was time to act. Exodus 2:25

One of my all time favorite movies is Sweet Home Alabama. I can identify with the characters, the southern small town atmosphere, the family, the friends, the love, and even the gossip. There was however, one line from the movie that I had never heard before. Melanie is defending her actions from high school, and she says, “Like I could tip a cow by myself!” I began to wonder exactly what that might mean!

In researching the phrase, there is actually such a thing. Tipping a cow refers to the purported activity of sneaking up on any unsuspecting or sleeping upright cow and pushing it over for entertainment. The practice is generally considered an urban legend and feats are thought of as tall tales.

The idea of a tipping over a cow for entertainment seems excessively mean spirited, but right now, it seems like that is exactly what is happening in our world and especially in the Middle Eastern countries. The world has been blissfully enjoying a semblance of peace, and suddenly terrorists have tipped us over while inflicting pain, trauma, and death on unsuspecting people.

In the midst of it all, we find ourselves much like the Israelites who continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act.

Just like the Israelites who thought life couldn’t get worse and then, Pharoah withdrew their straw and ordered them to produce the same daily quota of brick, we can’t believe the news which gets worse every day!! They reached their tipping point, and we are feeling much the same. We feel helpless and powerless to control things just as they did.

When we reach that tipping point, sometimes there are things that might help. First, if we are in a small group of friends or church members, it might help to share our feelings It can be therapeutic and healing to openly discuss the sense of helplessness and disbelief we are feeling. A member of our small group recently shared with me a pocket cross that he had made out of wood from an olive tree from the Holy Land. I carry it with me now everywhere, and it is comforting just to have a tangible symbol to remind us that God is still there!

Next, there comes a time when we just cry out to God. Just like He saw the Israelites struggling just to get through another day, He sees the people in the Middle East who are doing the same. Sometimes we talk to everybody except God. Prayer should be our first option not our last resort. David said in Psalms 118:5, I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. David’s prayers got him out of a tight spot and into God’s spot.

Finally, God will always keep His promise. God works according to His plan, not ours. He has not forgotten the people or their struggles. Our prayers will be answered in His time, so our job is just to keep praying and believing in Him.

When we reach our tipping point, we must make a decision to give up on our own strength and wisdom to solve our worldly problems or deliver us from them. We need instead to declare our reliance on Him and expresss our faith in His capabilities to step in and effectuate a turn for the better.

As we continue to watch and pray, we need to remember that God is there to catch us when we have reached our tipping point.